United Tribes News

BISMARCK (UTN) – The computer-designed artwork of a student at United Tribes Technical College will be the image that represents the annual meeting of students attending the nation's tribal colleges and universities.

A design by Sandra Red Feather, Pine Ridge, SD, was selected by the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) for its 27th annual student conference next year.

Red Feather, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is a second year student in the United Tribes Art-Art Marketing Program.

"It feels great," said Red Feather about having her design selected. "I had never won an art contest before."

Art-Art Marketing Instructor Wayne Pruse encouraged Red Feather to enter the contest. She did her research by going onto the internet and visiting the websites of schools around the country that attend the annual event.

The 2008 AIHEC Student Conference is scheduled for March 17 – 20 in Bismarck, North Dakota. It brings together students, faculty and administrators from 35 member institutions, located primarily in the western part of the nation, that serve the higher education needs of American Indian students.

Sandra Red Feather, Pine Ridge, SD, designed the image that will represent the 27th annual meeting of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. UTN photo Shawn Holz.

Red Feather designed the logo over the course of three weeks entirely in the computer using the program Adobe Illustrator. She received ideas and suggestions from other students and technical help and guidance from her instructor Colleen Bredahl.

The design contains images of creatures in the natural world that Red Feather selected because they are common to regions of the country where AIHEC schools are located. As a background she chose the colors of the Medicine Wheel.

With her newfound success, Red Feather says she's thinking about entering other work in the graphic design categories of the AIHEC student competition.

The competition, which is entirely friendly and cooperative, includes categories for a wide range of student accomplishments. In the arts alone, students may enter works in subdivisions for textiles, ceramics, pottery, jewelry, sculpture, beadwork, leather work, and quillwork, just to name a few.

Other major divisions of the AIHEC competition include critical inquiry, business, traditional plants, speech, web pages, science, writing, and the always popular knowledge bowl.

Red Feather's logo design also contains the phrase: "Coming Together as One," the theme of the event.